S.O.S ‘SOS’, the distress signal that saved thousands of lives, has turned 100 on (July 1). ‘SOS’, which is the commonly used description for the international morse code distress signal containing three dots, three dashes and three more dots, was first adopted by the German government in radio regulations on April 1, 1905. But, it became the worldwide standard when it was included in the second International Radiographic Convention which was signed on November 3, 1906, and became effective from July 1, 1908.
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S.O.S Music album By Cherry. (you will Love it).
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In the past century, ‘SOS’ has become a firm part of popular culture used in everything from DIY programme titles to Abba hits, British newspaper ‘The Times’ reported. But, it may be mentioned here that the call actually became famous when one of the radio operators of the ill-fated ‘Titanic’ had supposedly said to his colleague: “Send SOS”. The tragedy revealed just how vital a universal system was.
In the past century, ‘SOS’ has become a firm part of popular culture used in everything from DIY programme titles to Abba hits, British newspaper ‘The Times’ reported. But, it may be mentioned here that the call actually became famous when one of the radio operators of the ill-fated ‘Titanic’ had supposedly said to his colleague: “Send SOS”. The tragedy revealed just how vital a universal system was.
After the Titanic collision in April 1912, the ship’s radio operators sent out both the old CQD and the new ‘SOS’ signals, but some ships in the area ignored both, thinking that they were having a party. They soon learnt otherwise, as international headlines told how Jack Phillips, Titanic’s first radio operator, and 1,500 others had been lost along with the “unsinkable” ship.
The new SOS distress signal was rarely ignored after that. Of course, technology has moved on dramatically since 1908 and only very occasionally are the telltale dots and dashes that have saved countless lives employed today. So, it seems ‘SOS’ is safe for another century too!
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SOS: not Save Our Souls, Sailors, Ships or Skins.
It is the most meaningful “acronym” in the English language, despite meaning nothing. It does not stand for Save Our Souls, Stop Other Signals, Survivors On Ship, Sure Of Sinking, Send Out Succour, Save Our Sailors/Ship/Skins or any other such variant. It certainly does not stand, as one theory claims, for Spasiti Ot Smerti (the Russian for “save from death”).
SOS is simply the shortest, simplest three-letter arrangement in Morse code: three dots, three dashes and three more dots. The signal was deliberately chosen for its meaninglessness since it had to be universally recognised and not subject to language variations.
Like everything to do with maritime regulation, distress signalling was subject to intense international rivalry – while the British thought it sounded like a German derivation and the French would never accept something in English, the Italians and Americans had their own variations. But SOS was ideal, being short, symmetrical, memorable, inoffensive and without meaning in any language (except Greek: sos, by chance, is the inner stem of the verb “to save”.)
Despite (or perhaps because) it does not stand for anything in particular, SOS has become deeply embedded in our culture as a distinct word, complete with its own mythology and romance.
SOS is simply the shortest, simplest three-letter arrangement in Morse code: three dots, three dashes and three more dots. The signal was deliberately chosen for its meaninglessness since it had to be universally recognised and not subject to language variations.
Like everything to do with maritime regulation, distress signalling was subject to intense international rivalry – while the British thought it sounded like a German derivation and the French would never accept something in English, the Italians and Americans had their own variations. But SOS was ideal, being short, symmetrical, memorable, inoffensive and without meaning in any language (except Greek: sos, by chance, is the inner stem of the verb “to save”.)
Despite (or perhaps because) it does not stand for anything in particular, SOS has become deeply embedded in our culture as a distinct word, complete with its own mythology and romance.
In the long history of modern rescue SOS has been spelled out on beaches with rocks, flashed with a torch and stamped into snow. It has also been deployed to protect many things besides ships – the Sumatran Orangutan Society, Support Our Soldiers, Sustainable Open Space and so on – but it has also become the accepted distress signal for a broken heart.
Abba sang about it (“So when you’re near me, darling can’t you hear me, SOS.”), as did the Police in Message in a Bottle (“I’ll send an SOS to the world.”). Rihanna continued this rich tradition with her 2006 hit, SOS (Rescue Me), which begins: “Lalala lalala la la lala la Ohhh, You know . . . I never felt like this before.”
After a century, SOS has come full circle: it started off as completely meaningless and, in some circumstances, it still is.
Abba sang about it (“So when you’re near me, darling can’t you hear me, SOS.”), as did the Police in Message in a Bottle (“I’ll send an SOS to the world.”). Rihanna continued this rich tradition with her 2006 hit, SOS (Rescue Me), which begins: “Lalala lalala la la lala la Ohhh, You know . . . I never felt like this before.”
After a century, SOS has come full circle: it started off as completely meaningless and, in some circumstances, it still is.
S.O.S Music Video by (Rehana)
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Early developments
With the development of radio communication in the early 1890s, seagoing vessels had already adopted a wide variety of visual and audio distress signals, using such things as semaphore flags, signal flares, bells, and foghorns. Radio—which initially was called "wireless telegraphy"—at first employed Morse code, the dit-and-dah system originally developed for landline telegraphy. With the introduction of shipboard Radio installations, there was a need for standardized communication, but cooperation was somewhat limited by national differences and rivalries between competing radio companies.
The first International Radiotelegraphic Conference was held in Berlin, Germany in 1903. At the time, Captain Quintino Bonomo, an Italian representative, discussed the need for common operating procedures, including the suggestion that "ships in distress... should send the signal SSS DDD at intervals of a few minutes", according to "The Wireless Telegraph Conference", in the November 27, 1903, issue of The Electrician. However, procedural questions were beyond the scope of the 1903 Conference. Although Article IV of the Conference's Final Protocol, signed August 13, 1903, stated that "Wireless telegraph stations should, unless practically impossible, give priority to calls for help received from ships at sea," no standard signal was adopted at the time.
Because of the absence of international regulations, each ship was left to develop its own practices. For example in 1905 the crew of a sinking lightship off Nantucket transmitted the word "HELP" to call for rescue. Perhaps the first international radio distress call adopted was "CQD" ( — · — · — — · — — · · ) which was announced on January 7, 1904 by "Circular 57" of the Marconi International Marine Communication Company, and which became effective for Marconi installations beginning February 1, 1904. Another suggestion appeared in the 1906 edition of S. S. Robison's "Manual of Wireless Telegraphy for the Use of Naval Electricians," published for use by the United States Navy. This stated that the standard visual flag signals, known as the International Code of Signals, would likely also be adopted for radio use. Thus, the flag signal "NC" ( — · — · — · ), which stood for "In distress; want immediate assistance", would also likely become the radio distress call or a cry for help.
History
The use of the SOS signal was first introduced in Germany as part of a set of national radio regulations, effective April 1, 1905. These regulations introduced three new Morse code sequences, including the SOS distress signal:
Ruhezeichen ("Cease-sending signal"), consisting of six dahs ( — — — — — — ), sent by shore stations to tell other local stations to stop transmitting.
Suchzeichen ("Quest signal"), composed of three-dits/three dahs/one-dit, all run together (· · · — — — · ), used by ships to get the attention of shore stations.
Notzeichen ("Distress signal"), consisting of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits (· · · — — — · · · ), also in a continuous sequence, "to be repeated by a ship in distress until all other stations have stopped working".
Ruhezeichen ("Cease-sending signal"), consisting of six dahs ( — — — — — — ), sent by shore stations to tell other local stations to stop transmitting.
Suchzeichen ("Quest signal"), composed of three-dits/three dahs/one-dit, all run together (· · · — — — · ), used by ships to get the attention of shore stations.
Notzeichen ("Distress signal"), consisting of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits (· · · — — — · · · ), also in a continuous sequence, "to be repeated by a ship in distress until all other stations have stopped working".
SOS was developed from the general German radio call "SOE", with the 3 dits of a "S" easier to hear in under noisy conditions than the one dit of an "E". Also, the otherwise meaningless string of letters was selected because it is easily recognizable and can be sent rapidly. Comparing SOS (di-di-di-dah-dah-dah-di-di-dit) with the older CQD (dah-di-dah-dit dah-dah-di-dah dah-di-dit) (— · — · / — — · — / — · ·) it is obvious how much simpler the new code was. Also, it would not be mistaken for CQ, the radio code for "calling anyone" used in casual circumstances.
In 1906, at the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention in Berlin, an extensive collection of Service Regulations were developed to supplement the main agreement, which was signed on November 3, 1906, becoming effective on July 1, 1908. Article XVI of the regulations adopted Germany's Notzeichen distress signal as the international standard, reading: "Ships in distress shall use the following signal: · · · — — — · · · repeated at brief intervals". The first ship to transmit an SOS distress call appears to have been the Cunard liner Slavonia on June 10, 1909, according to "Notable Achievements of Wireless" in the September, 1910 Modern Electrics. However, there was some resistance among the Marconi operators to the adoption of the new signal, and, as late as the April, 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, the ship's Marconi operators intermixed CQD and SOS distress calls. However, in the interests of consistency and public safety, the use of CQD appears to have died out after this point.
In 1906, at the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention in Berlin, an extensive collection of Service Regulations were developed to supplement the main agreement, which was signed on November 3, 1906, becoming effective on July 1, 1908. Article XVI of the regulations adopted Germany's Notzeichen distress signal as the international standard, reading: "Ships in distress shall use the following signal: · · · — — — · · · repeated at brief intervals". The first ship to transmit an SOS distress call appears to have been the Cunard liner Slavonia on June 10, 1909, according to "Notable Achievements of Wireless" in the September, 1910 Modern Electrics. However, there was some resistance among the Marconi operators to the adoption of the new signal, and, as late as the April, 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, the ship's Marconi operators intermixed CQD and SOS distress calls. However, in the interests of consistency and public safety, the use of CQD appears to have died out after this point.
In both the April 1, 1905 German law, and the 1906 International regulations, the distress signal was specified as a continuous Morse code sequence of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits, with no mention of any alphabetic equivalents. However, in International Morse, three dits comprise the letter S, and three dahs the letter O. It therefore soon became common to refer to the distress signal as "SOS." An early report on "The International Radio-Telegraphic Convention" in the January 12, 1907 Electrical World stated that "Vessels in distress use the special signal, SOS, repeated at short intervals." (In American Morse code, which was used by many coastal ships in the United States through the first part of the twentieth century, three dahs stood for the numeral "5", so in a few cases the distress signal was informally referred to as "S5S").
In contrast to CQD, which was sent as three separate letters with spaces between each letter, the SOS distress call has always been transmitted as a continuous sequence of dits-and-dahs, and not as individual letters. There was no problem as long as operators were aware that "SOS" was technically just a convenient way for remembering the proper sequence of the distress signal's total of nine dits and dahs. In later years, the number of special Morse symbols increased. In order to designate the proper sequence of dits-and-dahs for a long special symbol, the standard practice is to list alphabetic characters which contain the same dits-and-dahs in the same order, with a bar atop the character sequence to indicate that there should not be any internal spaces in the transmission. Thus, under the modern notation, the distress signal becomes SOS. (In International Morse, VTB, IJS and SMB, among others, would also correctly translate into the · · · — — — · · · distress call sequence, but traditionally only SOS is used).
SOS has also sometimes been used as a visual distress signal, consisting of three-short/three-long/three-short light flashes, or with "SOS" spelled out in individual letters, for example, stamped in a snowbank or formed out of logs on a beach. The fact that SOS can be read right side up as well as upside down became important for visual recognition if viewed from above
In contrast to CQD, which was sent as three separate letters with spaces between each letter, the SOS distress call has always been transmitted as a continuous sequence of dits-and-dahs, and not as individual letters. There was no problem as long as operators were aware that "SOS" was technically just a convenient way for remembering the proper sequence of the distress signal's total of nine dits and dahs. In later years, the number of special Morse symbols increased. In order to designate the proper sequence of dits-and-dahs for a long special symbol, the standard practice is to list alphabetic characters which contain the same dits-and-dahs in the same order, with a bar atop the character sequence to indicate that there should not be any internal spaces in the transmission. Thus, under the modern notation, the distress signal becomes SOS. (In International Morse, VTB, IJS and SMB, among others, would also correctly translate into the · · · — — — · · · distress call sequence, but traditionally only SOS is used).
SOS has also sometimes been used as a visual distress signal, consisting of three-short/three-long/three-short light flashes, or with "SOS" spelled out in individual letters, for example, stamped in a snowbank or formed out of logs on a beach. The fact that SOS can be read right side up as well as upside down became important for visual recognition if viewed from above
Later developments:
The use of the SOS signal was first introduced in Germany as part of a set of national radio regulations, effective April 1, 1905. These regulations introduced three new Morse code sequences, including the SOS distress signal:
Ruhezeichen ("Cease-sending signal"), consisting of six dahs ( — — — — — — ), sent by shore stations to tell other local stations to stop transmitting.
Suchzeichen ("Quest signal"), composed of three-dits/three dahs/one-dit, all run together (· · · — — — · ), used by ships to get the attention of shore stations.
Notzeichen ("Distress signal"), consisting of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits (· · · — — — · · · ), also in a continuous sequence, "to be repeated by a ship in distress until all other stations have stopped working".
SOS was developed from the general German radio call "SOE", with the 3 dits of a "S" easier to hear in under noisy conditions than the one dit of an "E". Also, the otherwise meaningless string of letters was selected because it is easily recognizable and can be sent rapidly. Comparing SOS (di-di-di-dah-dah-dah-di-di-dit) with the older CQD (dah-di-dah-dit dah-dah-di-dah dah-di-dit) (— · — · / — — · — / — · ·) it is obvious how much simpler the new code was. Also, it would not be mistaken for CQ, the radio code for "calling anyone" used in casual circumstances.
In 1906, at the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention in Berlin, an extensive collection of Service Regulations were developed to supplement the main agreement, which was signed on November 3, 1906, becoming effective on July 1, 1908. Article XVI of the regulations adopted Germany's Notzeichen distress signal as the international standard, reading: "Ships in distress shall use the following signal: · · · — — — · · · repeated at brief intervals". The first ship to transmit an SOS distress call appears to have been the Cunard liner Slavonia on June 10, 1909, according to "Notable Achievements of Wireless" in the September, 1910 Modern Electrics. However, there was some resistance among the Marconi operators to the adoption of the new signal, and, as late as the April, 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, the ship's Marconi operators intermixed CQD and SOS distress calls. However, in the interests of consistency and public safety, the use of CQD appears to have died out after this point.
In both the April 1, 1905 German law, and the 1906 International regulations, the distress signal was specified as a continuous Morse code sequence of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits, with no mention of any alphabetic equivalents. However, in International Morse, three dits comprise the letter S, and three dahs the letter O. It therefore soon became common to refer to the distress signal as "SOS." An early report on "The International Radio-Telegraphic Convention" in the January 12, 1907 Electrical World stated that "Vessels in distress use the special signal, SOS, repeated at short intervals." (In American Morse code, which was used by many coastal ships in the United States through the first part of the twentieth century, three dahs stood for the numeral "5", so in a few cases the distress signal was informally referred to as "S5S").
In contrast to CQD, which was sent as three separate letters with spaces between each letter, the SOS distress call has always been transmitted as a continuous sequence of dits-and-dahs, and not as individual letters. There was no problem as long as operators were aware that "SOS" was technically just a convenient way for remembering the proper sequence of the distress signal's total of nine dits and dahs. In later years, the number of special Morse symbols increased. In order to designate the proper sequence of dits-and-dahs for a long special symbol, the standard practice is to list alphabetic characters which contain the same dits-and-dahs in the same order, with a bar atop the character sequence to indicate that there should not be any internal spaces in the transmission. Thus, under the modern notation, the distress signal becomes SOS. (In International Morse, VTB, IJS and SMB, among others, would also correctly translate into the · · · — — — · · · distress call sequence, but traditionally only SOS is used).
SOS has also sometimes been used as a visual distress signal, consisting of three-short/three-long/three-short light flashes, or with "SOS" spelled out in individual letters, for example, stamped in a s
Ruhezeichen ("Cease-sending signal"), consisting of six dahs ( — — — — — — ), sent by shore stations to tell other local stations to stop transmitting.
Suchzeichen ("Quest signal"), composed of three-dits/three dahs/one-dit, all run together (· · · — — — · ), used by ships to get the attention of shore stations.
Notzeichen ("Distress signal"), consisting of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits (· · · — — — · · · ), also in a continuous sequence, "to be repeated by a ship in distress until all other stations have stopped working".
SOS was developed from the general German radio call "SOE", with the 3 dits of a "S" easier to hear in under noisy conditions than the one dit of an "E". Also, the otherwise meaningless string of letters was selected because it is easily recognizable and can be sent rapidly. Comparing SOS (di-di-di-dah-dah-dah-di-di-dit) with the older CQD (dah-di-dah-dit dah-dah-di-dah dah-di-dit) (— · — · / — — · — / — · ·) it is obvious how much simpler the new code was. Also, it would not be mistaken for CQ, the radio code for "calling anyone" used in casual circumstances.
In 1906, at the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention in Berlin, an extensive collection of Service Regulations were developed to supplement the main agreement, which was signed on November 3, 1906, becoming effective on July 1, 1908. Article XVI of the regulations adopted Germany's Notzeichen distress signal as the international standard, reading: "Ships in distress shall use the following signal: · · · — — — · · · repeated at brief intervals". The first ship to transmit an SOS distress call appears to have been the Cunard liner Slavonia on June 10, 1909, according to "Notable Achievements of Wireless" in the September, 1910 Modern Electrics. However, there was some resistance among the Marconi operators to the adoption of the new signal, and, as late as the April, 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, the ship's Marconi operators intermixed CQD and SOS distress calls. However, in the interests of consistency and public safety, the use of CQD appears to have died out after this point.
In both the April 1, 1905 German law, and the 1906 International regulations, the distress signal was specified as a continuous Morse code sequence of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits, with no mention of any alphabetic equivalents. However, in International Morse, three dits comprise the letter S, and three dahs the letter O. It therefore soon became common to refer to the distress signal as "SOS." An early report on "The International Radio-Telegraphic Convention" in the January 12, 1907 Electrical World stated that "Vessels in distress use the special signal, SOS, repeated at short intervals." (In American Morse code, which was used by many coastal ships in the United States through the first part of the twentieth century, three dahs stood for the numeral "5", so in a few cases the distress signal was informally referred to as "S5S").
In contrast to CQD, which was sent as three separate letters with spaces between each letter, the SOS distress call has always been transmitted as a continuous sequence of dits-and-dahs, and not as individual letters. There was no problem as long as operators were aware that "SOS" was technically just a convenient way for remembering the proper sequence of the distress signal's total of nine dits and dahs. In later years, the number of special Morse symbols increased. In order to designate the proper sequence of dits-and-dahs for a long special symbol, the standard practice is to list alphabetic characters which contain the same dits-and-dahs in the same order, with a bar atop the character sequence to indicate that there should not be any internal spaces in the transmission. Thus, under the modern notation, the distress signal becomes SOS. (In International Morse, VTB, IJS and SMB, among others, would also correctly translate into the · · · — — — · · · distress call sequence, but traditionally only SOS is used).
SOS has also sometimes been used as a visual distress signal, consisting of three-short/three-long/three-short light flashes, or with "SOS" spelled out in individual letters, for example, stamped in a s
nowbank or formed out of logs on a beach. The fact that SOS can be read right side up as well as upside down became important for visual recognition if viewed from above.
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